In Kolkata, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Wednesday asserted that the results of the recent Lok Sabha poll point to the fact that India is not a "Hindu Rashtra".
Sen, who arrived in Kolkata from the United States in the evening, also expressed displeasure over the “continuation” of imprisoning people “without trial”, even under the new dispensation.
"That India is not a 'Hindu Rashtra' has only been reflected in the election results," Sen told a Bengali news channel at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
"We always hope to see a change after every election. Some of what happened before (during the BJP-led central government), like putting people behind bars without trial and widening the gap between rich and poor, still continues. That It must continue. stop,” he said.
The eminent economist said that it is necessary to be politically open-minded, especially when India is a secular country with a secular Constitution.
"I don't think the idea of turning India into a 'Hindu Rashtra' is appropriate," Sen, 90, said.
He also opined that the new Union government is “a copy of the previous one”.
“Ministers still have similar portfolios. Despite a slight reorganization, the politically powerful remain powerful,” he stated.
Sen recalled that during his childhood, when India was under British rule, people were imprisoned without any trial.
“When I was young, many of my uncles and cousins were imprisoned without trial. We hoped India would be free from this. Congress is also to blame for this not stopping. They didn't change it... But this is more practical under the current government,” said the Nobel Prize winner.
On the BJP's loss of the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat despite the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Sen said an attempt was made to eclipse the true identity of the country.
"...Building the Ram Temple by spending so much money... to portray India as a 'Hindu Rashtra', which should not have happened in the country of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Shows an attempt If we neglect the true identity of India, it must change,” he said.
Sen also said unemployment was rising in India and sectors like primary education and primary health care were being neglected.
Sen, who arrived in Kolkata from the United States in the evening, also expressed displeasure over the “continuation” of imprisoning people “without trial”, even under the new dispensation.
"That India is not a 'Hindu Rashtra' has only been reflected in the election results," Sen told a Bengali news channel at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
"We always hope to see a change after every election. Some of what happened before (during the BJP-led central government), like putting people behind bars without trial and widening the gap between rich and poor, still continues. That It must continue. stop,” he said.
The eminent economist said that it is necessary to be politically open-minded, especially when India is a secular country with a secular Constitution.
"I don't think the idea of turning India into a 'Hindu Rashtra' is appropriate," Sen, 90, said.
He also opined that the new Union government is “a copy of the previous one”.
“Ministers still have similar portfolios. Despite a slight reorganization, the politically powerful remain powerful,” he stated.
Sen recalled that during his childhood, when India was under British rule, people were imprisoned without any trial.
“When I was young, many of my uncles and cousins were imprisoned without trial. We hoped India would be free from this. Congress is also to blame for this not stopping. They didn't change it... But this is more practical under the current government,” said the Nobel Prize winner.
On the BJP's loss of the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat despite the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Sen said an attempt was made to eclipse the true identity of the country.
"...Building the Ram Temple by spending so much money... to portray India as a 'Hindu Rashtra', which should not have happened in the country of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Shows an attempt If we neglect the true identity of India, it must change,” he said.
Sen also said unemployment was rising in India and sectors like primary education and primary health care were being neglected.
